Eagles bolster blocking with Johnson

April 27, 2013|Reuters

The Sports Xchange

NFL Team Report - Philadelphia Eagles - INSIDE SLANT

The Eagles had four players they were comfortable taking with the fourth pick in the draft Thursday night - offensive tackles Eric Fisher of Central Michigan, Luke Joeckel of Texas A&M and Lane Johnson of Oklahoma and defensive end/linebacker Dion Jordan or Oregon.

Fisher went first to Kansas City, Joeckel second to Jacksonville and Jordan third to Miami, which traded up from No. 12, leaving the Eagles to happily select Johnson.

Head coach Chip Kelly said the Eagles had Fisher, Joeckel and Johnson, who only has been playing offensive tackle for two years after starting his career as a quarterback, and then moving to defensive end and tight end, all rated evenly.

"We had them all together," he said. "So it was going to happen the way it was going to fall. We weren't going to trade. We thought there was a group of four that we really, really like and we were going to see how the draft was going to unfold."

The athletic Johnson is a good bet to be the Eagles' season-opening starting right tackle. Todd Herremans, who was the team's starting right tackle before breaking his foot last November and missing the final eight games, probably will move back inside to guard. He had spent most of his career at guard before moving to right tackle in 2011.

"I don't know depth charts or any of those other things," Kelly said. "Let's get Lane in here and let him actually take a few reps and run around a little bit.

"We do know that Todd has some flexibility and that's the great thing about him, because Todd has played inside and outside. I think the other thing with Lane that is great about his flexibility is he has played the right side and he's played the left side. We're going to let them all battle it out. they're going to win the jobs out on the field, but having some versatility makes a more versatile football team. Having him and having Todd, we obviously look at that as a positive."

The Eagles' current left tackle, Jason Peters, missed all of last season after rupturing his Achilles tendon. He was a first-team All Pro in 2011, but is 31 years old and there is no guarantee he will return to his previous form.

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NFL Team Report - Philadelphia Eagles - NOTES, QUOTES

--The Eagles were involved in just one trade during the draft. But it could turn out to be an important one. The Eagles gave Jacksonville one of its four seventh-round picks for the right to move up three spots in the fourth round Saturday. The Eagles used that pick to select USC quarterback Matt Barkley. The Kansas City Chiefs, who had the selection right after Jacksonville, intended to take Barkley.

"We had Matt rated in the top 50 players in the draft," said Eagles coach Chip Kelly, whose team got him with the first pick in the fourth round, the 98th overall. "We thought a lot of (other) people were going to try to do the same thing."

If Barkley had declared for the draft last year, he might've been a top-five pick. But he stayed in school and the decision ended up costing him millions of dollars.

"I've stayed positive this whole time," he said. "I haven't looked back. As I said before, just to have an opportunity (is what I wanted). All it takes is one team. I'm blessed that the Eagles believe in me and are willing to give me a chance. No matter where you end up, it's just the beginning of the next chapter of your life."

--The Eagles have not had a lot of luck in the second and third rounds. Since 2003, they've selected 22 players in those rounds. Only two - wide receiver DeSean Jackson (second round, 2008) and running back LeSean McCoy (second round, 2009) have made it to the Pro Bowl. Just six of those 22 players, including Jackson and McCoy, started 32 or more games with the Eagles.

--Offensive tackle Lane Johnson, the Eagles' first-round draft pick, fessed up to a fib Friday. No, he doesn't have a fake girlfriend. But the story he told in New York to ESPN and again at his introductory press conference in Philadelphia earlier Friday about wrestling black bears down in Texas, well, no, that never actually happened. Johnson said he was just trying to "add some flavor to the supper" when asked why he made up the story.

--The Eagles are flush with tight ends. Second-round pick Zach Ertz gives them four, including veterans Brent Celek and Clay Harbor and newcomer James Casey, who was signed last month shortly after the start of the free agency signing period. The Eagles likely will carry four tight ends on their roster this season. Coach Chip Kelly doesn't use a fullback in his offense, but will often put three tight ends on the field at the same time.

"It creates a lot of (matchup) problems, because (the tight ends) have the athleticism to run with defensive backs, but they're bigger than them. And they're usually more athletic than linebackers. You're trying to find people who create mismatches and we think Zach is one of those."